PETA strikes again – this time in Lake Elsinore, CA at a facility breeding rodents and reptiles. One of PETA’s infamous undercover investigations documenting alleged cruelty was brought to the city government. The city partnered with PETA, local animal control and a number of other organizations to investigate the facility. On December 16, city spokesman Justin Carlson “said experts will treat any of the reptiles or rodents if they are found to be ill.”
From a series of press releases on the city’s website:
December 13:
Yesterday, the City inspected the facility and found evidence of animal neglect.
[…]
PETA spokeswoman Daphna Nachminovitch commented that PETA’s mission in this case is to ensure all animals receive necessary treatment[.]
December 17:
As of noon today, approximately 600 reptiles and 18,400 rodents have been identified and assessed by a team of veterinary experts, rat and reptile specialists, and animal cruelty investigation professionals. Willa Bagwell (Executive Director of Animal Friends of the Valleys) stated “we are continuing to inventory and evaluate the rodent population. The reptile counts have been confirmed and we continue to assess their situation as well.”
Upon entrance to the building, inspectors identified a dire situation. According to Willa Bagwell, “what we saw was horrific animal conditions involving thousands of dead animals in various states of decay as well as dying in their enclosures. In my 25 years of conducting animal control this is the most horrific case of animal cruelty, neglect, and suffering that I have encountered.”
December 19:
After careful analysis, a team […] determined […] euthanasia was the safest and most humane option[.]
Willa Bagwell said, […] “We are thankful […] to PETA and Marin Humane Society for providing us with the resources needed for this operation.”
Approximately 19,000 animals, most of them rodents, were killed. Not one living creature was saved. Not one mouse. Not one baby rat. Not one snake. This is PETA’s mission – to administer their version of “necessary treatment” to animals. And they provide the resources.
No charges have been filed in connection with the case as far as I know.
For a look at how PETA treats dogs and cats, click here.
And yet they made it to the #4 spot on favorite nonprofits for 2013:
http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/announcing-31-new-favorite-nonprofits-for-2013/
I tried leaving a comment about them but it wasn’t approved. Guess PETA’s PR department is greater then the truth
That sucks beyond words. I had a sinking feeling that that is what would happen but damn. :(
I can’t stop thinking about how the killing was done. It’s too grim to contemplate overly but logistically, how does anyone kill 19,000 animals with any semblance of humane treatment? I fear something terrifying was done to those animals to bring about their deaths.
How do we know they were not killed humanely? I don’t see anything in the article saying that they weren’t euthanized vs killed.
We don’t know how they were killed Daniela. It’s been troubling me.
The rodents were probably killed with CO2 (if they were raised for frozen feeders, the equipment would already be on hand). The reptiles are problematic…properly euthanizing reptiles is a tricky thing in the best of circumstances. I fear that they may also have used equipment on hand for that…like a freezer.
I’ve been told it’s difficult to impossible to do an IV injection in an adult rat, let alone kits. When my last pet rat was euthanized, she was given gas anesthesia and then injected in the body – I’m afraid I didn’t register exactly where, even though I held her at the time.
I’ve heard that reptiles respond differently to anesthetics and that IV injections are also difficult to impossible for them.
So it’s a very good question. All the more, that these are creatures many people, even ones who love other animals, find frightening & distasteful.
I’m also deeply disturbed by the participation of the Marin Humane Society. They’re NOT local – they’re based in Novato, up here in Northern California – what the hell were they doing south in Lake Elsinore? Why them? And why has the mission statement on their website changed – amended in August, according to the page – to the vaguest unenforceable pablum?
Man, I’m still shaking my head over MHS’s involvement. Thing is, Lake Elsinore isn’t just south of here – it’s South, completely out of the region, about 8 hours’ drive minimum.
Unless they had a cadre of techs killing over multiple days, it would be difficult to kill each animal individually with euthanasia solution. Reptiles are very difficult to kill with methods traditionally used on mammals and birds (who also can be difficult because of their anatomy).
Eucritta, your rat was probably euthanized via an IP injection into the body cavity which is very effective in small mammals, birds, and animals who have difficult to access veins. At the sanctuary, we have vets euthanize severely ill turkeys and chickens IP – it takes a lot longer than IV, but it is not any more or less stressful for the animal.
And as to MHS, it may be because they are under a different executive director.
Daniela.. sorry “euthanized ” is KILLED..
And is anyone surprised that PeTA’s idea of “treatment” = death?
No surprises here at all . . .
Info on correct euthanasia of rats and reptiles –
http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html
http://www.anapsid.org/euth.html
You are against PETA euthanzing animals that are sick or injured?
How I understand it is: More and more people are turning to shelters and humane societies for the service of medical euthanasia, primarily because it’s affordable to almost everybody.
a) PeTA isn’t a “shelter,” b) nearly everyanimal PeTA receives is an owner-surrendered animal for the purpose of humane, medical euthanasia or an animal received from an out-of-state facility for the purpose of euthanasia, and that the state requires those owners to sign legal releases stating they are aware their animals may be immediately euthanized. PeTA euthanizes an average of 5 sick, injured, and emotionally devastated animals every day. Did you know that they handle between 800 and 1000 animals every month in their spay and neuter clinics–animals who aren’t represented in the VDACS reporting numbers. A total of over 80,000 animals so far.
Rachel story: When I worked at the Norfolk headquarters I assisted many members of the public who brought animals in for euthanasia.Most stayed with their companions during the procedure, and I cried with many of them in their grief and sadness after the animals had moved on.
“a) PeTA isn’t a “shelter,” ”
No, it’s not. PeTA’s “shelter” is essentially a slaughterhouse for pets.
“b) nearly everyanimal PeTA receives is an owner-surrendered animal for the purpose of humane, medical euthanasia or an animal received from an out-of-state facility for the purpose of euthanasia, and that the state requires those owners to sign legal releases stating they are aware their animals may be immediately euthanized.”
This is patently untrue. PeTA kills kittens, puppies, rabbits, and chickens. They kill because they like to kill, because that makes the animals “safe” from potential human abuse and oppression. For PeTA, death is “the answer”.
From – http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/petas-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-history-of-killing-animals/254130/
“In a December 2, 2008, interview with George Stroumboulopoulos of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Stroumboulopoulos asks Newkirk: “Do you euthanize those pets, the adoptable ones, if you get them?” To which Newkirk responds: “If we get them, if we cannot find a home, absolutely.” ”
“In an email to me, Winograd elaborated, noting that when The Daily Caller asked PETA “what sort of effort it routinely makes to find adoptive homes for animals in its care,” PETA responded with the ever convenient “no comment.” He also observes that the numbers PETA reports historically come from Virginia, which compiles data only for animals taken into custody “for the purpose of adoption.” ”
Ingrid herself says proudly that she’s killed “thousands” of animals with her own hands. These are not good people. Have they helped some? Certainly. Does that give them a pass for the death they rain down on adoptable animals every single day? No, it does not.
Julie please explain to me how out of 19,000 animals every single 1 what exam and within a 3 day period and found to be unsalvageable? please also explain why vets along the Eastern Shore of Virginia and as far south as the Carolinas have publicly stated they turned over healthy adoptable animals to PETA which were almost immediately killed? If PETA operates no hands on shelters like you say and is not willing to rehabilitate or help animals better turned over to their care care logic follows that you sick in the head killers to just stop taking animals!
Do you know for a fact that every one of these animals was so severely ill or injured as to be untreatable?
I suspect, as a PETA troll, you’re well-aware that this is a No-Kill advocacy blog, and that the No-Kill philosophy & approach is to save every healthy and treatable animal. Thus, sickness, injury, behavioral issues and owner request are NOT considered, in and of themselves, to be adequate justification for euthanasia. Rather, the animal must be beyond treatment or palliative care. Ergo, your initial question is at best disingenuous.
Peta has never been able to show that any animal they took custody of recieved any veterinary care other than a big blue needle..
Consent forms? Only requesyed euthanasia and those on deaths doorstep? Julie how much kool aid do you have to drink to regurgitate such a delusional river of lies? Or are you conveniently forgetting the hundreds of animals (that wr know about, the true number is likely much higher) that peta took from vets and ownets and killed on tje back of their van immediately? No vet, just your employees who then threw these poor dead animals into grocery store dumpsters!
Sick,sick sick!
Julie – the sad fact of this case, like so many others, is that no matter how bad off these animals were at this facility, at least they were alive. When they were alive, there was some hope of improving their lot in life. Once PETA and friends swooped in, all hope was lost.
Julie likes to post on No-Kill sites and Facebook pages with a few of her buddies disputing No-Kill, arguing that all animal welfare organizations should work together, that No-Kill can’t be accomplished and that the No-Kill movement should be focusing on taking down breeders (which to me seems to be one of the few areas that the HSUS is good for), instead of working on shelter reform. I wouldn’t be surprised if she works for PETA – http://www.facebook.com/julie.eyrich
Not buying what Julie is selling. The very sad thing, though, is that too many others do and then animals die unnecessarily.
How do you say BS in so many short words..
It’s one thing to euthanize if they’re beyond treatment, but how could all 19,000 of them be beyond treatment? Then again, the article doesn’t specify how many were euthanized or why. I agree that it’s wrong to put animals down for convenience purposes, but this article is very unspecific.
Whenever and wherever PeTA gets involved in “animal rescue” it means death for all animals. It always reminds of this story:
In June of 2005 , two PETA employees were charged with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty each, after authorities found them dumping the dead bodies of 18 animals they had just picked up from a North Carolina animal shelter into a Dumpster. According to the Associated Press, 13 more dead animals were found in a van registered to PETA.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/saunders/article/Better-dead-than-fed-PETA-says-2626614.php#ixzz2H6H9gmtu
Marin HS????? what are they doing there.. a bit out of tier jurisdiction eh??
Isn’t it just? And all they’ve got to say about it is a link to the same story above on Facebook, with a sentence to the effect that some of their employees went there to help. With two comments, neither of substance.
Oh look, PeTA is not involved and the animal magically survives…….
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130105%2FNEWS%2F130109883
Bless the hearts of the rescuers – true rescuers. Thanks for the good news. That’s one lucky little deer.
Do you suppose peta might read about this and have a change of heart . . . nah.
I’ve kept reptiles for 3 decades. I’ve rehabbed some very sick ones. Starved ones. Parasitized ones
There are a few genetic, and a very few contagious conditions which require pathology to diagnose, that require euthanasia. Most reptiles can come back wonderfully from even severe neglect.
And there are thousands of experienced keepers in California. Many of whom volunteer to rehab and rescue.
My guess? they were rodents and reptiles. They were “icky”, probably smelly and may have had ectoparasites. Unless the experts were exotic veterinarians and herpetologists who were experts and specialists in reptile care, then there was no reasonable way that the reptiles at least were properly assessed as to salvage potential.
To the best of my knowledge, no California herpetologists, herp societies, herp rescues, exotic rescues, wildlife rehabbers etc… were ever contacted. Most shelters are not equipped to keep lots of reptiles, so if there is ANY interest in saving anything at all, they should have had these organizations or individuals on alert BEFORE seizing anything or contacted immediately when the decision was made to remove them.
Unless PETA can provide evidence that each and every snake etc had an incurable condition, or that there was a confirmed wide spread fatal disease like IBD, then humane=convenient.
Reblogged this on SiameseCatTwins4Ever.